HRC Blog

A municipal court judge in Columbus, Ohio, has ordered owners of the Capital Club to pay a $1,000 fine in the city’s first-ever transgender discrimination case.

Savanna DeLong says she was let go by the club where she worked for 12 years after coming out as a transgender woman in late 2010. Company owners pleaded no contest in court. This is the first time a Columbus business has been charged for transgender discrimination since the city code was changed in 2008 to include gender identity protections.

While ordinances extend protection in cities like Columbus, it still remains legal in 29 states to fire someone based on sexual orientation and in 34 states based on gender identity or expression. Learn more here.